1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic exposure device and a photometry device in a camera wherein an object field is divided and photometered.
2. Related Background Art
As a device of this kind, there has heretofore been a device as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 1-288735. This device is such that a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are disposed in a package and the object field is divide and photometered by them to thereby obtain optimum exposure.
However, the prior-art device as described above is of a type in which the outputs of the photoelectric conversion elements are read out as electric currents and therefore, is of such structure that wiring is led from each photoelectric conversion element to an amplifier, and for the convenience of wiring, the number of divisions could only be less than one hundred.
In contrast with such a limitation, there is conceived a method of using a CCD image sensor or an MOS image sensor in which the outputs of photoelectric conversion elements are accumulated as charges for a predetermined time and the accumulated charges are successively read out.
However, in the sensor of the type as described above in which the accumulated charges are read out, the photoelectric conversion elements are connected together through a reading portion, and this has led to a problem that when very high luminance is incident on some of the photoelectric conversion elements to cause an overflow, it affects the outputs of that row or the area around it. If the affected outputs are intactly used for exposure calculation, exposure will greatly deviate from the optimum value.